Interview with Sam Vaknin, Ph.D.
Sam Vaknin, Ph.D. has a lot to say based on a wealth of fascinating life experiences. Of special note to readers of this topic is the article, The Metaphors of the Mind: Part III: The Dialogue of Dreams. However, after reading this interview you may wish to check out his comprehensive Philosophical Musings website.
LJC: You're been a very industrious, busy man with a bio that reads hard-core scientific method and business. What got you interested in the metaphysical side of dreams?
SAM: Dreams are by far the most mysterious phenomenon in mental life. On the face of it, dreaming is a colossal waste of energy and psychic resources. Dreams carry no overt information content. They bear little resemblance to reality. They interfere with the most critical biological maintenance function - with sleep. They don't seem to be goal oriented, they have no discernible objective. In this age of technology and precision, efficiency and optimization - dreams seem to be a somewhat anachronistically quaint relic of our life in the savannah. Scientists are people who believe in the aesthetic preservation of resources. They believe that nature is intrinsically optimal, parsimonious and "wise". They dream up symmetries, "laws" of nature, minimalist theories. They believe that everything has a reason and a purpose. In their approach to dreams and dreaming, scientists commit all these sins combined. They anthropomorphesize nature, they engage in teleological explanations, they attribute purpose and paths to dreams, where there might be none. So, they say that dreaming is a maintenance function (the processing of the preceding day's experiences) - or that it keeps the sleeping person alert and aware of his environment. But no one knows for sure. We dream, no one knows why. Dreams have elements in common with dissociation or hallucinations but they are neither. They employ visuals because this is the most efficient way of packing and transferring information. But WHICH information? Freud's "Interpretation of Dreams" is a mere literary exercise. It is not a serious scientific work (which does not detract from its awesome penetration and beauty).
LJC: Having lived in Israel and America, do you find any societal differences or convergences in the way the dreaming process is viewed between the two cultures?
SAM: I have lived in Africa, the Middle East, North America, Western Europe and Eastern Europe. Dreams fulfill different societal functions and have distinct cultural roles in each of these civilizations. In Africa, dreams are
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